Elderberry Syrup to the rescue!

Elderberry Syrup for cold & flu season!

Cold/Flu season is RIGHT around the corner! I love Fall/Autumn, but it comes with a whole new slew of illness! Especially if you've got kids starting school and those germs are getting passed around! There are lots of ways to keep your family healthy naturally! One of my favorite and most effective ways is ELDERBERRY SYRUP! Elderberry is the most traditional, iconic and effective immune system herb (in my opinion). It is an antioxidant-rich food & medicine that is a powerful AND delicious household remedy for colds, flu and other viral infections! Medicinal preparations include tinctures, infusions, decoctions, poultices, compresses, mead, wine, honey, vinegar but my most FAVORITE preparation is the Elderberry Syrup! I make it for my family, the kids love it, and we RARELY get sick! 

The berries are diaphoretic, antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, diuretic, antirheumatic, anticatarrhal, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular tonic, immune stimulant & nervine. Now that is one versatile herb! The flowers are also used medicinally for similar uses. 

I make and sell the syrup locally but don't ship it presently. You can also purchase syrup online if you'd rather just purchase it instead of making it, but I am going to share my recipe with you here so you can make it yourself! It's relatively easy! I added Ginger Root, Echinacea & Elder Flowers because all of them help your immune system. You can add other herbs such as Rosehips or Calendula. Experiment and have fun with it! I use honey but you can also use agave easily too! Honey has added antimicrobial benefits and helps during allergy season if you purchase local honey. I prefer to get all organic ingredients to ensure there is no extra chemicals. I am linking organic ingredients. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup Dried Elderberries - link here 

2 cups Distilled Water 

2 tsp Dried Ginger Root - link here

2 tsp Dried Echinacea - link here

3 tsp Dried Elder Flowers - link here

1 cup Honey (buy local if you can) or Agave Nectar 

1. Grind (I use a coffee grinder - it works really well, just make sure it is only used for herbs, not coffee) all herbs and add to water or blend herbs with water if you don't have a grinder. This ensures that the herbs all have as much surface area as possible exposed to the water to extract the medicine from the herbs. 

2. Put herbs & water in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer on the stove for 1 hour. 

4. Strain into a glass bowl or measuring glass pyrex. To strain you can use a cheesecloth but I found that loose herbs still find their way in, so I use this nut bag and it strains all loose material out well and everything is contained and easy to dump out. Squeeze bag to get all of the juice and medicines out of the loose material. 

5. Add honey to hot liquid so that the honey melts a bit and makes it easier to stir. Stir a LOT and make sure the honey and elderberry mixture is well mixed. You don't want honey sitting on the bottom. 

6. Pour into a bottle or a jar and label. Store in the fridge for 2-3 months. For kids, take1 tsp once a day for preventative care, 2-3 times a day if you are sick to lessen the duration of your cold/flu. For adults, take 1 tbsp once a day for preventative care, 2-3 times a day if you are sick to lessen the duration of your cold/flu. 

You can also purchase my syrup if you are local to the Bay Area (where I preside) or Chico (where I frequent). Visit my Rosy Begonia Herbal Apothecary facebook page here to place an order with me. Hopefully soon I will be shipping it too. Just figuring out the logistics of that. You can also purchase it online here. 

Enjoy the recipe! Have fun with it! 

Disclaimer: If you are really sick, please go to the doctor. I am not a doctor and this information has not been approved by the FDA. 

Peace.